U.S. Ambassador Says Russia Is A ‘Wild Country’

The US ambassador to Moscow questioned Friday how a Kremlin-linked television channel accessed his private schedule, calling Russia a “wild country” in an altercation with its reporters.

Michael McFaul wrote on Twitter that NTV, a state-run broadcaster that has aired smear documentaries against the opposition, seemed to know his appointments and was waiting as he came to visit a prominent rights activist.

“Not true. State Dept does not publish my schedule,” McFaul said on Twitter, adding that the meeting with activist Lev Ponomaryov from the For Human Rights group had not been scheduled through the consulate either.

NTV published a statement on its website saying the channel had a “wide network of informants.”